The House of Representatives has recently passed significant legislation aimed at addressing healthcare issues, notably in rural areas and for specific patient groups. The Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0, championed by Rep. Wexton, aims to enhance research into treatments and cures for children, promising hope and potentially life-saving advancements. Concurrently, a contentious debate surrounds the Biden Administration's proposed staffing mandate for rural hospitals and nursing homes. Critics, including Rep. Fischbach and Rep. Jason Smith, argue that this mandate, opposed by over 1,000 care organizations, could lead to closures and reduced access to care due to the inability of rural facilities to meet these staffing requirements. The Ways and Means Committee has taken steps to counteract this with the passage of H.R. 5074, the Kidney PATIENTS Act, and H.R. 7513, the Protecting America's Seniors' Access to Care Act, both aimed at protecting patient access to necessary treatments and preventing the adverse effects of the staffing mandate. These legislative efforts, including the markup of several bills, reflect a broader concern over healthcare accessibility and the impact of federal mandates on rural communities. The Kidney PATIENT Act notably passed with a vote of 41-1, indicating strong bipartisan support.
The Kidney PATIENT Act passed 41-1 in @WaysandMeansGOP! Congress is one step closer to providing access to affordable medicines for kidney disease patients. I'm thankful to have worked on this with @RepTerriSewell & have strong bipartisan support for ESRD patients in the U.S. https://t.co/N8146Zml28
As communities across America face workforce shortages, government should support innovative solutions, not threaten to exacerbate nursing home closures with arbitrary mandates. See my remarks in @WaysandMeansGOP on the Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act.⤵ https://t.co/XVu8nWk9u9
The Kidney PATIENT Act passed 41-1 in @WaysandMeansGOP! Congress is one step loser to providing access to affordable medicines for kidney disease patients. I'm thankful to have worked on this with @RepTerriSewell & to have strong bipartisan support for ESRD patients in the U.S. https://t.co/jbRc6PhHNx
The Ways and Means Committee passed H.R. 5074, the Kidney PATIENTS Act. This bill takes a critical step towards protecting care that kidney patients vitally need. https://t.co/WFO4XUthfe
Today I’m joining my @WaysandMeansGOP colleagues to markup several bills that will protect and improve patients’ access to care. We’re working to block baseless mandates that will force nursing homes to close, ensure Medicare will cover key-treatments for renal disease, and help…
The Ways and Means Committee passed H.R. 7513, the Protecting America's Seniors' Access to Care Act. Blocking the Biden Administration’s harmful hospital staffing mandate will protect rural hospitals and their patients. https://t.co/ydJfLf1Xym
It is simple: if rural hospitals close, rural patients will lose access to care. This harmful mandate would require rural hospitals to comply with staffing mandates, even though they lack the infrastructure to do so. @RepCarolMiller https://t.co/oYouVaTgNM
.@RepSmucker points out the facts. Staffing mandates, like the one proposed by the Biden administration, cause seniors to lose their health care. Allowing this mandate to go into effect will worsen nursing staff shortages. https://t.co/7y0q4aB1p1
@RepSmucker points out the facts. Staffing mandates, like the one proposed by the Biden administration, cause seniors to lose their health care. Allowing this mandate to go into effect will worsen nursing staff shortages. https://t.co/DhkvgqYcnK
Enforcing the Biden administration’s staffing mandate would only exacerbate our nursing staff shortages. Blocking this rule would save rural hospitals from the many challenges this rule would present. @RepRonEstes https://t.co/qpx3d5YhWu
The Biden Administration is proposing a staffing mandate for rural hospitals that will make it more difficult for them to keep their doors open. Imposing this mandate will compromise the health care of residents across rural America. https://t.co/dO0xRFBy3H
The Biden Administration’s one-size-fits-all solution to the health care staffing mandate will only harm rural communities. @RepFischbach https://t.co/gerdhR0sto
This morning in @WaysandMeansGOP, we're discussing my bill to defend #MN07 senior care facilities from the misguided nursing staff ratio mandate being proposed by this administration. You can watch my full remarks here. https://t.co/8BM83qznEM
NEW: The House just passed my Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0! I'm proud that we're taking bipartisan action to continue the groundbreaking work of Kids First to research better treatments and cures that will save lives & give families hope. https://t.co/LZ2QHfN9Fu https://t.co/FC4YD73NNn
Biden's proposed staffing ratio mandate won't solve the staff shortage and threatens the operation of rural nursing homes across America. I'm so glad to have the support of over 1,000 care organizations for my bill to keep CMS from implementing this rule. https://t.co/OPfNdesAUs